Phil Anselmo

Philip Hansen "Phil" Anselmo (born June 30, 1968) is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer for the heavy metal band Pantera. He is currently the frontman for the Louisiana-based metal act Down. He is also the owner of Housecore Records. Phil Anselmo started life in New Orleans and attended Grace King High School located in the suburb of Metairie. His father owned and operated a restaurant in Metairie called Anselmo's, which closed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Anselmo has said in various interviews that he was very quiet and secluded as a child. He spent some time working on fishing boats as a young man. During a 2002 Ozzfest interview with the radio show Opie and Anthony, Anselmo shared a story that, at the age of 15, he started a fire in his home to scare his sister but accidentally burned the house down in the process. While a teenager, Anselmo joined the band Samhain. From the early to mid '80s, Anselmo was a member of the band Razor White. While they did have some original material, they mainly played Judas Priest covers.

Pantera was an unsigned glam metal band, with three self-released albums to their name. In 1986 it was decided by the band to replace singer Terrence Lee, who was primarily a glam metal singer, because they were heading in a different direction musically. Seeking a new frontman to continue on this heavier path, the band was led to 19-year-old Anselmo. In 1987 after several meetings, Phil Anselmo was added to the Pantera lineup. The band was so impressed with Anselmo that they re-recorded some of Terrence Lee's vocals for their latest release. Anselmo relocated to Texas to record Power Metal, which was released in 1988 on the band's own record label Metal Magic Records. 

Following the release of Power Metal, the band dropped its glam image and adopted a more casual look. The band was signed to a record label by a scout who was stranded due to a hurricane. The band saw the scout at the venue and were disheartened when he left mid-set. It turned out that the scout had left to phone the record label and to tell them to sign Pantera as soon as possible. Pantera recorded the album Cowboys from Hell in 1990, and a long tour began. The band documented portions of this tour on their first home video, Cowboys from Hell: The Videos, released in 1991.

In December 2004 Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed while performing with Damageplan. At the request of Dimebag's family, Phil Anselmo did not attend his funeral. In a lengthy and emotional video posted on the website community YouTube, Anselmo describes his regret over his previous behavior, and has written and recorded music dealing with the loss of Dimebag on the new Down record, Down III: Over the Under. The band has dedicated their song "Lifer" to Dimebag.